From Nurse to Network Marketer

I know what you’re thinking….why on earth would I leave a full time nursing career to pursue a Network Marketing business? Those things don’t last, they’re a scam and the people are crazy! Nursing is a REAL job. Or maybe you’re asking yourself what IS network marketing, because I can promise you, I had no clue either.

Let me start here…I felt compelled to blog on this topic because I recently read an article about retirement and savings. Real Estate, RRSPs, GICs, Stocks, Pensions etc. are all mentioned. Funny enough there was no mention of building a residual income through network marketing. Yet network marketing companies have been around for decades, and those that are created with integrity and infrastructure are proving to be one of the most effective ways to build residual income. Plus, the online world of purchasing internationally make possibilities endless. Chances are you already know a friend, mom or personal trainer who is supplementing their own paychecks with a side business they have going. And putting aside the occasional ‘over zealous/ salesy’ person, for the most part those who are serious about building a business do it the right way.

Is it for everyone? No, of course not. Not everyone wants to be a plumber or a teacher or a doctor either, but for some people, this industry is the key to supplementing, transforming and taking control over their future. It enables you CHOICES. What would an extra 600/month do for you? Or would you need more to live the life you desire? After all, the saying is true – you only live once.

Maybe the best way to show you what I mean is to share with you my story. I can’t speak for every other successful network marketer, but I can speak for myself and maybe somewhere along this story line you can picture yourself too.

As the 2nd of 5 kids in a family with a single income earner (my dad worked shifts at Ford for as long as I remember), we were always tight on money, clipping coupons and having to say ‘no’ to trips and other extras. Yet my parents were always adamant that we do well in school, get good grades, go to University and create a career for ourselves that would better position us and our families. And that’s what I did. I graduated from McMaster University with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1995 and became a Registered Nurse. I spent time in the private sector writing medical legal reports and did some casual shift nursing at hospitals, but the majority of my Nursing Career was spent as a care coordinator whereby I would help families navigate our health care system and arrange government professional health care services (physio, OT, nursing etc), for kids who were medically fragile or palliative. I did this for 20 years.

The benefits of this job were great! Steady Monday – Friday hours, pension, health and dental benefits, and 5 weeks vacation a year. Yet I was capped at a certain salary and vacation time, often worked through breaks and lunches, and struggled ethically with the limitations and business model in which we worked. And most importantly to me, I was missing out on my kids’ school and sporting events, wasn’t home for them when they got home from school and felt as though I was failing at a whole bunch of little things, not being able to do one thing great.

And truth is, I didn’t feel like I was asking for much….I wanted to be there for my kids, contribute to society, help people, use my brain, have money and savings for my kids to go to the school of their choice and play the sports they are gifted to play. To be able to travel and breathe….just breathe.

So what happened?

Life happened. In June 2010 after a couple major life events I found myself struggling with energy, stress, eating the right foods, and never seeming to have enough money to pay the bills or save. I found myself yelling at the kids as I’d rush to get to work on time, getting by on 5 hours of sleep a night, rushing from one thing to the next and always feeling like the hamster in the wheel. How was it that I was a supposed health care professional and athlete, yet I couldn’t seem to practice what I preached? So I decided I’d reach out to one of my best friends, who, in my eyes was my role model for all things health, fitness and family. She had been using a line of products that she swore by so I trusted her above anyone.

Once I started I didn’t look back. What I was consuming made perfect sense for my busy life, and was helping me feel better from the inside out. Week after week, month after month my body and mind felt in better alignment and that became my new norm. And so that’s what I continued and continue to do.

I then figured if I was consuming the products so often, I better educate myself on the company and its vision; and in doing that I realized the exact thing this company was striving for (to impact world health and wealth) was really all I ever wanted for myself, my family and others. And this was my big aha moment.

So between August 2013 and June 2015 I worked my little side business in the chunks of time I scheduled throughout the week. I was still working full time and managing my home life. I had my friend as my mentor, took it upon myself to learn more about the industry, dug deep into personal development around my mindset for my life and what was possible. And I stuck with it….I did not quit. I had moments and dips of frustration; but I would not quit.

And then it happened. In June 2015 I left my nursing career having surpassed my nursing income in January of 2015. I’m on pace to triple that nursing income by the end of this year, working part time hours from home – I’m here when my kids get home from school, I’m getting to their activities, sleeping more than 7 hours a night and feeling like I’m doing it right….balancing my own fitness goals, my family’s needs, contributing to society, and saving for our future. Finally. And the beautiful part of that is since I said yes in June 2010; I’ve helped hundreds of women earn a side income too, including some of my BEST friends! – with thousands in my organization (close to 21, 000 now) choosing to simply consume products.

Part of me hesitated to share my financial success in a blog post but then I felt I would be doing so many of you a disservice. People will share with you how much they made on flipping a house, or a stock that did well – so you need to realize that THIS is an option for you too.